Naval Tactics in the Pacific War of World War 2

The Pacific War was one in which navies were crucial. Given the vastness of the sea between the Pacific islands and regions, navies and naval superiority became a key consideration in this war. As such, both sides invested in navies and naval technology to win the Pacific War.

Before the outbreak of the Pacific War, both sides had begun to recognize the potential of the aircraft carrier. The Japanese and Admiral Yamamoto were keen to invest in aircraft carrier fleets. Along with the USA, they emerged with the largest aircraft carrier fleet in the world.

The aircraft carrier was becoming increasingly significant to naval warfare because of the weapons that it supported. Aircraft and bomber aircraft, particularly. Bomber aircraft were becoming increasingly accurate, and they could attack and hit a variety of targets, including naval ships such as battleships and, indeed, other aircraft carriers. With such aircraft, the range of carriers comfortably exceeded that of other naval ships and could be used to support both naval and ground battles.

With the USA and Japanese navies having an increasing number of aircraft carriers, their impact on naval tactics would become all the more notable. Aircraft carriers were important to gaining air superiority, which in turn would gain naval superiority. Any fleet without aircraft carriers would be sitting ducks to those that had them, or simply more of them. Even with anti-aircraft defenses, battleships were still outranged by aircraft carriers and became more for naval support.

The beginning of the Pacific War well illustrated how effective the aircraft carrier could be. Pearl Harbor saw the US fleet lose some battleships as Japanese aircraft carrier bombers struck the harbor. In addition to this, the US also lost many hundreds of aircraft at the airfields.

In 1942, the first aircraft carrier naval battles emerged at Coral Sea and Midway. The Battle of the Coral Sea was the first naval battle that relied on aircraft carriers and highlighted their impact on naval tactics perfectly. With these, reconnaissance planes were first used to scout for the other fleet. Sorties were launched by both sides during the battle until the Imperial Japanese Navy withdrew.

The Battle of Midway was a more decisive naval battle that saw the Japanese lose four aircraft carriers. Like at Coral Sea, aircraft sorties from both sides struck at ships, although the USA's proved to be more effective, with Japanese carriers sunk at a ratio of 4:1.

Escort carriers also emerged and were used more for support roles. The Allies used those carriers to provide air support for amphibious landings in the Pacific. Such escort carriers also supported convoys.

Aside from the aircraft carrier, other naval tactics used during the Pacific War included the submarine. The submarine, or unrestricted submarine warfare, became another naval tactic of the Allies during the Pacific War. As such, the Allies struck at any merchant shipping in Axis waters without any warning. The Allied submarines became increasingly effective as the war progressed, and Japan lost many tonnes of merchant shipping and supplies.

For the Japanese, submarines did not feature prominently in their naval tactics. The Imperial Japanese Navy believed that only fleet battles won naval campaigns. They were rarely used against US supply lines and were, in the first instance, required more for reconnaissance roles.

For the Allies, both naval carriers and submarines were the cornerstone of Allied naval tactics. The aircraft carrier was ideal for bombing ground and naval targets, while the submarine was very effective at sinking merchant shipping and reducing Japanese supplies. While the Japanese, like the Allies, placed great emphasis on aircraft carriers for fleet carrier battles and bombing ground targets in support of their armies, submarines were not significant in their naval tactics.

This article of mine was originally submitted to Medium, where you can read it here.